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Nashi Pears
Nashi pears come from eastern Asia, China,
Japan and Korea. They are very juicy and resemble apples in
shape. Don looked at the best varieties for the home garden,
while Geoff Jansz used Nashis to prepare an appetiser and a
dessert.
Varieties
‘Nijisseiki’
An upright, spreading tree, which is partially
self-fertile. It produces juicy, medium-sized fruit with
yellowish green, clear skin. The fruit is of good eating
quality, with a mild flavour becoming tart nearer the core.
‘Hosui’
This tree has a weeping habit. The fruit is
medium/large, with light brown skin and sweet, juicy flesh. It
is pollinated by Nashi varieties ‘Shinsui’, ‘Nijisseiki’ and ‘Kosui’.
‘Kosui’
The fruit of ‘Kosui’ is golden yellow to tan.
The flesh is juicy and tender, with a slightly bland flavour. It
is pollinated by Nashi varieties ‘Hosui’, Chojuro’ and ‘Nijisseiki’.
Growing Nashi pears
Nashi pears are grown in much the same way as
European pears, but they generally have lower chilling
requirements. They often set large crops, so thinning of smaller
fruit is necessary. Thinning helps prevent limb breakage and
allows the remaining fruit to grow to optimum size and quality.
The only major pest in most areas of Australia is Pear and
cherry slug (Caliroa cerasi). The larvae of this glossy
black sawfly feed on the upper surface of the leaves until only
the veins remain. You can ignore the problem, hose the larvae
off the leaves, or use a caterpillar killer such as Dipel. |
Acai
Berry
